A Formal Challenge to Duel

An Affair of Honor?

Depiction of VP Burr’s & Hamilton’s Duel 1804

The most famous duel in American history is without doubt that which occurred between Vice President Aaron Burr and then former Secretary of Treasurer Alexander Hamilton, who greatly influenced the founding of America’s economy and was most likely on track to become President himself.

Burr and Hamilton had been political enemies for some time when they met on the “field of honor”.  You see, Hamilton had been instrumental in preventing Burr from winning the Presidency when Burr tied Thomas Jefferson’s vote count, leading to Burr’s eventual appointment as VP (in those days the 2^nd place vote getter got to be the VP) in 1801. The two men repeatedly squared off in the arena of politics until rumors that Hamilton had been saying “despicable” things about Burr led the slandered VP to issue a formal challenge to duel.

The two men met on the field of honor in Weehawken, New Jersey on the morning of July 11, 1804. As the story is generally told, Hamilton fired first, aiming high and missing Burr completely. Then Burr aimed squarely at Hamilton’s torso and returned fire.  Hamilton fell, the gun shot had lodged in his spine; he was dead by the following morning.

Whether or not Hamilton’s miss was intentional is arguable. Hamilton had recorded in a letter the night before the scheduled duel that he planned to intentionally miss Burr in an effort to end the quarrel without bloodshed.  But some say, that Hamilton so disliked Burr that he shared this sentiment so as to paint Burr as a wicked shedder of innocent blood, in hopes of forever staining his character in the event of his own death.

If that in fact was truly was Hamilton’s wish, it was certainly granted. Murder charges were levied against Burr; but he was never brought to trial for this event. However the resulting political fallout undermined Burr’s second run for the presidency as his political clout was soon brought to a swift end as well as his career as a Politian.

Although “the duel” was still quite common in 1804, it had been outlawed in New York, and the punishment for conviction of dueling was death. It was also illegal in New Jersey, but the consequences were less severe. 

Following the duel, Burr fled to South Carolina, where his daughter and family lived; he soon returned to Philadelphia, PA and then on to Washington DC to complete his term as Vice President. He, understandably avoided New York and New Jersey for a time because both states had filed murder charges against him, but all such charges were eventually dropped.

Aaron Burr, the man had many friends within his life time but also some powerful enemies; he is perhaps the most controversial individual of the Founding Fathers in the United States. He was indicted for murder (but not convicted) after the death of Hamilton; arrested and prosecuted for treason by President Thomas Jefferson (but not convicted) in 1807. To his friends and family, and often to complete strangers, he was said to be both kind and generous.

There have been other notable duelists in American history who were a good deal more successful after the fact.  For example, Andrew Jackson, the 7^th US President for example was well known for his inclination to invoke violence in defense of his honor; he was the veteran of at least 13 duels. As a result, it was commonly said that his body was so filled with lead that he “rattled like a bag of marbles.”

On April 26, 1826 setting US Secretary of State and statesman, Henry Clay was pitted against U S Senator John Randolph in a “face saving” duel in which both combatants missed their mark after two attempts.  

On a lighter note, while living in Virginia City, Nevada, USA, employed as a writing for a local news paper, satirist Mark Twain (Samuel Clemons) challenged the publisher (James Laird) of a competing news paper to a duel.   Twain’s second (Steve Giles) soon realized that Twain could not hit the “broad side of a barn” and thus was sure of Twain’s ultimate demise.  As things turned out on the day of the duel, Giles managed to convince Laird (Twain’s opponent) by using a bit of trickery, that Twain had a deadly aim and therefore for him to complete or follow-through with the duel would be suicidal. It has been said that Tom Sawyer would have been pleased with the trickery, Twain and Laird settled their differences without gunfire.

Sources ...

http://artofmanliness.com/2010/03/30/famous-duels-from-american-history/      

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Burr